16-team 2QB/IDP ROokie Draft (2016)

By: Devin Sperle

Since I know there is very minimal content in the dynasty community for 2QB and deep IDP leagues, I wanted to share one of my rookie drafts and give a bit of analysis on the picks. This league is a 16-team salary cap/contract league. Each team must roster between 40 and 50 players during the season.

With that said, you can imagine that QBs are at an ultimate premium with the league starting requirements equal to the total number of NFL starters. The deep IDP keeps things interesting as well. I'll do my best to detail the enormous amounts of trades during the draft as well.

Round 1

Pick

Owner

Player

Position

Team

1.01

The IT Crowd

Ezekiel Elliott

RB

Dallas

1.02

Gym Class Heros

Jared Goff

QB

Los Angeles

1.03

We Suck Again

Laquon Treadwell

WR

Minnesota

1.04

Devin's Team

Carson Wentz

QB

Philadelphia

1.05

The IT Crowd

Josh Doctson

WR

Washington

1.06

Captn K

Sterling Shepard

WR

New York Giants

1.07

Philly Cheesesteaks

Michael Thomas

WR

New Orleans

1.08

Captn K

Paxton Lynch

QB

Denver

1.09

The IT Crowd

Corey Coleman

WR

Cleveland

1.10

Philadelphia Phins

Tyler Boyd

WR

Cincinnati

1.11

The Pants-less Revolution

Will Fuller

WR

Houston

1.12

The IT Crowd

Leonte Carroo

WR

Miami

1.13

Gym Class Heros

Derrick Henry

RB

Tennessee

1.14

Bubble Boy

CJ Prosise

RB

Seattle

1.15

Captn K

Kenneth Dixon

RB

Baltimore

1.16

TheFallen

Devontae Booker

RB

Denver

Favorite Pick: Corey Coleman

Least Favorite Pick: Will Fuller

I look at how this round went and it's frustrating to see how well The IT Crowd drafted. Then when you realize he is the two-time reigning champ and has by far the best team in the league, it just becomes depressing. I was pretty much forced to grab Wentz at 1.04 because the only starting QB on my roster is Flacco. The round pretty much played out about how I thought it would. The biggest surprises for me were Coleman falling all the way to 1.09 and Prosise being taken ahead of Dixon. I would have taken Coleman ahead of both Shepard and Thomas. Love the value of Carroo at 1.12 as well and unfortunately I didn't have the capital to move back into the round and get him. I don't like Fuller at 1.11. I would have preferred any of the other late picks over him.

The trades during this round were out of control. I have to say that it made the first round very entertaining. The trade that makes me shake my head the most is Cooks for 1.08 and 2.03. My opinion (and the general consensus of the dynasty community) is that Cooks should command multiple firsts. In a 16-team league, 2.03 is not as high of a pick as it sounds. Captn K eventually got Paxton Lynch and Paul Perkins out of the picks from this trade. Even in a 2QB league, I don't think that Lynch + Perkins comes anywhere close to Cooks.

I love trade number 7 for both parties involved. Gym Class Heros gets ridiculous value for Goff by adding CJ Anderson, Doctson, and some extra picks. The IT Crowd gets arguably the best QB in the draft and he had the depth to do it. I think the trade helps both teams.

Trade 8 is too hard to judge for me. NUT UP or SHUT UP took a gigantic gamble with Charles and Jordy both coming off the ACL tears. Only time will tell who truly won this trade.

Round 2

Pick

Owner

Player

Position

Team

2.01

We Suck Again

Myles Jack

LB

Jacksonville

2.02

TheFallen

Hunter Henry

TE

San Diego

2.03

The IT Crowd

Malcolm Mitchell

WR

New England

2.04

Captn K

Paul Perkins

RB

New York Giants

2.05

Drewski's Brewskis

Christian Hackenberg

QB

New York Jets

2.06

The Walken Dead

Kenyan Drake

RB

Miami

2.07

Captain Planet

Tyler Ervin

RB

Houston

2.08

Captain Planet

Tajae Sharpe

WR

Tennessee

2.09

Bubble Boy

Jaylon Smith

LB

Dallas

2.10

The Pants-less Revolution

DeAndre Washington

RB

Oakland

2.11

Gym Class Heros

Darron Lee

LB

New York Jets

2.12

Drewski's Brewskis

Jordan Howard

RB

Chicago

2.13

TheFallen

Reggie Ragland

LB

Buffalo

2.14

The Walken Dead

Wendell Smallwood

RB

Philadelphia

2.15

The Walken Dead

Mike Thomas

WR

Los Angeles

2.16

Devin's Team

Deion Jones

LB

Atlanta

2.17

We Suck Again

Keith Marshall

RB

Washington

Favorite Pick: Keith Marshall

Least Favorite Pick: Tyler Ervin

It happens in nearly every IDP league, but this was the round of the LB run. I like all of the LBs taken in this round. At 2.16 I felt like Deion Jones had the highest upside + best chance at immediate production of any LB left, and now I get to pair him with Anthony Barr on my team. I'm not the biggest Hackenberg fan, but I suppose someone has to start for the Jets and I doubt it's Geno or Petty long-term. The Tyler Ervin pick was puzzling to me. I don't think he'll ever amount to anything more than an occasional change-of-pace back, especially on a team that just signed Lamar Miller to a massive contract. The other RBs selected later in the round have much higher upside and production potential than Ervin. This includes my favorite pick of the round, Keith Marshall. I debated grabbing Marshall at 2.16 for awhile, but I thought I would be able to get him at 3.01. Unfortunately that didn't happen. I think Marshall has a legitimate chance to be the starting RB in Washington by the end of the season.

Another big group of trades in this round. With all of the talent falling in this round, I knew I couldn't sit by and wait until my next pick in the 5th. I traded a future 2nd to get back in and I don't regret it at all. Gym Class Heros ended up with another great value trade this round by acquiring Jay Ajayi in Trade 3. Giving up a 2nd and two 3rds for Ajayi is a steal.

Round 3

Pick

Owner

Player

Position

Team

3.01

Devin's Team

Austin Hooper

TE

Atlanta

3.02

Philadelphia Phins

Keanu Neal

S

Atlanta

3.03

Philly Cheesesteaks

Pharoh Cooper

WR

Los Angeles

3.04

Captn K

Cardale Jones

QB

Buffalo

3.05

Drewski's Brewskis

Su'a Cravens

S

Washington

3.06

TheFallen

Karl Joseph

S

Oakland

3.07

Philly Cheesesteaks

Joey Bosa

DE

San Diego

3.08

Drewski's Brewskis

Braxton Miller

WR

Houston

3.09

Drewski's Brewskis

Rashard Higgins

WR

Cleveland

3.10

Drewski's Brewskis

DeForest Buckner

DE

San Francisco

3.11

The Pants-less Revolution

Sheldon Rankins

DT

New Orleans

3.12

The Pants-less Revolution

Miles Killebrew

S

Detroit

3.13

Philadelphia Phins

Robert Nkemdiche

DE

Arizona

3.14

TheFallen

Cody Kessler

QB

Cleveland

3.15

The Pants-less Revolution

Vernon Hargreaves

CB

Tampa Bay

3.16

Drewski's Brewskis

Leonard Floyd

LB

Chicago

Favorite Pick: Austin Hooper

Least Favorite Pick: Pharoh Cooper

Maybe I was a bit biased in choosing my favorite pick of the round, but taking Hooper at #34 overall feels like robbery. He's in a great situation in Atlanta with only Tamme to pass on the depth chart. Matt Ryan is a good QB and Hooper should be able to serve as a great secondary target behind Julio Jones. On the other hand, Pharoh Cooper does not excite me whatsoever. He looks like a slow gadget player, which is an oxymoron. If Tavon Austin has trouble producing for the Rams with his quickness, Cooper doesn't stand a chance. I like all of the defensive backs picked in this round and the Floyd pick at 3.16 is pretty sexy too. Guys like Higgins and Miller hold great value this late in a draft as well.

I was planning on trading back into the draft to grab Keith Marshall, but Hooper was a great Plan B for me. I know people will say I'm dumb for trading a future 2nd for a 3rd, but I like the pick. Captn K had two great trades during this round to grab Jordan Howard and Michael Floyd. Trading a total of five 3rds, two 4ths, and a 5th for those two players is a perfect example of "trading pennies for dollars." Then we have the massive blockbuster trade of the round. Again, I think this is great value for both teams. Philly Cheesesteaks grabs Bell for a run at the championship, but No Vacancy Team makes him pay a heavy price grabbing a top 10 RB, top 5 TE, and 2 rookie WRs.

Round 4

Pick

Owner

Player

Position

Team

4.01

Dawkin' Donuts

Tyler Higbee

TE

Los Angeles

4.02

Dawkin' Donuts

Alex Collins

RB

Seattle

4.03

Dawkin' Donuts

De'Vondre Campbell

LB

Atlanta

4.04

TheFallen

Dak Prescott

QB

Dallas

4.05

Gym Class Heros

Jonathan Williams

RB

Buffalo

4.06

TheFallen

Joshua Perry

LB

San Diego

4.07

Philadelphia Phins

Antonio Morrison

LB

Indianapolis

4.08

Drewski's Brewskis

Blake Martinez

LB

Green Bay

4.09

NUT UP or SHUT UP

Josh Ferguson

RB

Indianapolis

4.10

We Suck Again

Jonathan Bullard

DE

Chicago

4.11

Captain Planet

Andrew Billings

DT

Cincinnati

4.12

The Pants-less Revolution

Jeff Driskel

QB

San Francisco

4.13

Drewski's Brewskis

Ricardo Louis

WR

Cleveland

4.14

Philly Cheesesteaks

Kamalei Correa

LB

Baltimore

4.15

Philly Cheesesteaks

Nick Vigil

LB

Cincinnati

4.16

The Pants-less Revolution

Noah Spence

DE

Tampa Bay

Favorite Picks: Joshua Perry, Antonio Morrison, and Blake Martinez

Least Favorite Pick: Tyler Higbee

I could not choose just one favorite pick in this round. Those three LB picks in a row all look nice. Perry, Morrison, and Martinez have open paths to immediate production on their respective teams. I don't hate the Higbee pick because of his talent. That is something that he is not lacking. I hate the pick because my personal philosophy is to avoid players with big off-field issues. A player doesn't do you any good if he's suspended or in jail. Aaron Hernandez was talented, but the only balls he's receiving now are...well you get the picture. I think Alex Collins and Jonathan Williams are great value picks this late and I think they could give some nice production. The two late LB picks by Philly Cheesesteaks are also nice.

The first trade is absolutely puzzling to me. I'm not sure I understand how a 2nd is somehow worth trading away for four 4ths, especially in a 16-team league. I'd much prefer the security of a 2nd round pick to some additional dart throws. The other trade I'm questioning is Trade 4 with Jamaal Charles. To me, Wheaton will only ever be "just a guy" whereas Charles has proven to be a stud. Sure, Charles is aging so I'm not against trading him, but I would have wanted something more.

Round 5

Pick

Owner

Player

Position

Team

5.01

Devin's Team

Jordan Payton

WR

Cleveland

5.02

No Vacancy Team

Jalen Ramsey

CB

Jacksonville

5.03

We Suck Again

Kevin Hogan

QB

Kansas City

5.04

We Suck Again

Daniel Lasco

RB

New Orleans

5.05

The Walken Dead

Chris Jones

DE

Kansas City

5.06

Dawkin' Donuts

Sean Davis

S

Pittsburgh

5.07

The Pants-less Revolution

Vonn Bell

S

New Orleans

5.08

Devin's Team

Moritz Boehringer

WR

Minnesota

5.09

The Walken Dead

Shaq Lawson

LB

Buffalo

5.10

Dawkin' Donuts

Seth DeValve

TE

Cleveland

5.11

No Vacancy Team

Connor Cook

QB

Oakland

5.12

Captn K

Charone Peake

WR

New York Jets

5.13

The Walken Dead

Scooby Wright

LB

Cleveland

5.14

We Suck Again

Darian Thompson

S

New York Giants

5.15

We Suck Again

Keyarris Garrett

WR

Carolina

5.16

Bubble Boy

Chris Moore

WR

Baltimore

Favorite Pick: Shaq Lawson

Least Favorite Pick: Chris Moore

Getting Shaq Lawson this late is crazy. I know he's got a shoulder injury, but he was the 19th overall pick. When everyone is making wild guesses this late, Lawson is as good a pick as any. Moore was such a weird pick both in the NFL and in dynasty football. He's basically classified as a pure vertical threat. But with only 4.53 speed, I doubt he can become a true producer in the NFL. I grabbed who I believe to be the best Cleveland rookie WR behind Corey Coleman, taking Jordan Payton. My last pick was a complete shot in the dark with the big German. Gotta go with upside this late, right? Garrett and Peake were two guys I had on my radar as well, so those were both nice picks in my opinion.

I don't like Trade 2 for Captn K. Carroo was drafted at 1.12 and Dixon at 1.15, which puts their value pretty equal in my eyes. Brandon Marshall is the top ILB in Denver now which makes him much more valuable than 5.12. I would have been okay with Trade 3, but not after Bubble Boy used the pick on Chris Moore.

Grades (Includes draft picks & trades)

Drewski's Brewskis: B-I really like the IDP picks, but not really a fan of any of the offensive picks. Hackenberg makes me puke, although he could end up starting. Jordan Howard is a pure plodder. Braxton Miller is a project. Higgins and Louis are both "meh" for me. That said, the LB picks in Cravens, Floyd, and Martinez look real nice. On the trade side of things, trading Tavon Austin for Tevin Coleman was a smart move. Handcuffing Freeman with Coleman helps avoid lost production due to a likely timeshare in Atlanta. Getting rid of Martavis Bryant was solid as well. As I said earlier, I don't mess with off-field stuff.

Devin's Team: A-I might be a bit biased because this is my own team, but I really like how the draft turned out for me. Wentz had to be taken with my first pick and I think he may have the best long-term value of any QB in the class. Deion Jones should slot nicely into a starting LB spot right away in Atlanta which means immediate production. Grabbing Hooper in the 3rd felt like a massive steal, as did getting Jordan Payton who I felt was the best Cleveland WR outside of Coleman. I traded two future 2nds to get Jones and Hooper which I think is fair value for sure.

The Pants-less Revolution: D+Harsh? Probably a bit. I absolutely hate the Will Fuller pick. I hate Will Fuller as much as I love Leonte Carroo (a lot). The trade to get that 1.11 pick was nice, but the actual pick spoiled it. The DeAndre Washington pick is the best one of the bunch. I see him getting a fair amount of playing time in Oakland and can bring some added production. The IDP picks are all pretty good too. The low grade is based primarily on two things: the Will Fuller pick and the Michael Floyd trade. I still can't wrap my head around trading a guy like Floyd for a bunch of picks 3.12 and lower.

The Walken Dead: C+No trades were made during the draft which is pretty unusual. My favorite pick was Shaq Lawson late in the 5th. I feel like the problem is that I feel most of the picks were reaches for guys with high upside, but also high bust potential. I am not a fan of Drake or Smallwood. Drake never showed the ability to run inside in college and I think he benefited tremendously from playing second fiddle to Henry. The Smallwood hype is out of control, but I guess it should be expected in a league full of Philly fans. Mike Thomas is a guy I would have liked on my team, but not in the 2nd round.

Gym Class Heros: ABetween the trades and picks, Hero killed it. He basically stole Brandin Cooks for next to nothing, so props for that. Flipping Goff for CJ Anderson, Josh Doctson, and two picks was a score as well. I also really like the trade out of the 1.11 spot to grab RGIII and a 2017 1st. The Darron Lee and Jonathan Williams picks are great value. The only pick I'm not a huge fan of is Derrick Henry, but at 1.13 it's not a terrible pick.

We Suck Again: B+Great trade at the beginning of the draft to move back from 1.02 to 1.03 and move from the 3rd round into the 2nd. Treadwell is a very solid pick and the top WR on my board. Myles Jack is my favorite LB in the draft so another great pick. And Keith Marshall was sniped from me, so I obviously like that pick a lot too. Overall it was a good draft with some nice dart throws at the end, but the team obviously has some massive holes to fill still.

The IT Crowd: A+I don't think I can criticize any of the picks here. Zeke, Doctson, Coleman, Carroo, and Mitchell. That is four of my top six overall in a standard league. The trade for Goff was a bit of an overpay in my opinion, but when your team is stacked you can basically do what you want. As much as I love Carroo, trading him for Dixon + Brandon Marshall (LB) was a fantastic move. The best team in the league got even stronger and it looks like we better lube up for this season.

TheFallen: BAll of the picks were pretty good in my book. None of them are "exciting," but solid value all the way around. I would have probably preferred a different LB over Ragland, but mostly because I think Ragland is slower than a turtle. Dak Prescott and Cody Kessler could eventually move into starting roles so they were worth picking. I hated the trade to get Martavis Bryant, but the situation was saved by eventually flipping him for Jamaal Charles later on.

Philadelphia Phins: C-Boyd is my second most hated WR after Fuller. I don't understand the Keenan Allen comps at all. I could be proven wrong, but I think he's just a guy. I don't like the Nkemdiche pick either, again due to off-field issues. I appreciate getting 2.16 from him in a trade to grab Deion Jones, so there's credit for that.

No Vacancy Team: AOnly made two picks in the draft (both in the 5th), but they were good value that late with Jalen Ramsey and Connor Cook. The "A" grade comes from the massive trade that was made. Giving up a player like Le'Veon Bell is never fun, but getting Ingram, Michael Thomas, and Jordan Reed in return is.

Captain Planet: C-I liked one out of three of his picks. Tyler Ervin will never be more than an occasional change-of-pace back, and may even struggle to see the field at all outside of special teams, being behind Lamar Miller. I don't agree with taking DTs in a draft, even one this deep, which is why I hate the Billings pick too. However, I am a Tajae Sharpe truther so congratulations! I love the pick and I think he could eventually develop into a productive WR2 or WR3 in Tennessee.

Captn K: CThis was the hardest draft to grade by far. I LOVE the picks. Shepard, Lynch, Dixon, Perkins, and even Cardale Jones and Charone Peake. The problem for me were some of the trades that were absolutely awful. I've already discussed the Cooks trade several times, but that was just bad. I don't like the Carroo trade either. I think Dixon + a late future pick should have been enough. The one trade I did love was grabbing Michael Floyd for all the late-round picks. So maybe the trade rapes cancel each other out? This gets an average grade from me.

Philly Cheesesteaks: C-Michael Thomas is a good 1st round pick, but Pharoh Cooper is terrible even at the top of the 3rd. The IDP picks are solid. If it weren't for the giant overpay in the Le'Veon Bell trade, this would have been a solid B.

Dawkin' Donuts: C+It's tough to grade drafts that only have late picks, but you know already that I hate the Higbee pick. There was good value in the Alex Collins pick and the IDP picks as well. I don't like trading a future 2nd for a few 4th round picks. I just feel that's a giant downgrade.

NUT UP or SHUT UP: CThe lone pick of Josh Ferguson was good. I think he could get some playing time if Father Time gets injured in Indy. He made three big trades during the draft, so let's break that down. The first one was a wash for me, pretty even on both sides. I hate the second trade giving up Charles for Martavis Bryant and Markus Wheaton. The third one is hard for me to judge, but I think it's fairly even as well. Average grade.

Bubble Boy: BI like Prosise at 14 overall and Jaylon Smith at 2.09. As previously stated, I don't like the Chris Moore pick late since he was on my "Do Not Draft" list. The trades were all good value.